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 Filter rocked the house in Pomona |
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 Mike Mason |
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 Cameron Sinclair |
Twitch Repeats!
Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg Pulls off a Repeat Victory, and Takes Home the 2008 FMX LG World Championship of FMX
This weekend, for the sixth straight year, the LG World Championships of FMX decended upon the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona, CA. The event brought together the best Freestyle Motocross riders in the world on the Championships' best course to date, and brought along some great music in the form of Filter to the Maxell Music Stage. Pomona was in for a crazy night!
The evening kicked off with a set from Filter to build the energy. The first round of competition featured six battles with two riders going head to head, each judged on their overall riding. From there a semi-final of three heats took place, followed by a final round with three riders battling it out.
Up until last year the only rider to hold an LG World Championship of FMX title was Nate Adams. But last year Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg stopped Nate's streak in its tracks, and took home his first title. The hopes of a Nate Adams vs. Jeremy Stenberg rematch were crushed with Adams out injured. Adams surely would have been looking for redemption, but even with Adams out of the game, Twitch wasn't a shoe-in for victory. X Games gold medalist Adam Jones, as well big names like Robbie Maddison, Mike Mason, and Beau Bamburg along with some newcomers like Australia's Cameron Sinclair all had a solid chance at the title.
In the head to head format consistency is key. A rider who puts together a great run from time to time, could easily win one round only to be eliminated in the next. A great rider could falter in an early round and be eliminated from the get-go. The rider who comes out on top must throw down three great runs in the end... the sign of a true champion. And if two riders in the same bracket throw down great runs, one of them has to go home. Thus was the case for Cam Sinclair, and Jeremy Lusk... Both ended their days early despite some great performances.
While all the riders brought their fair share of big tricks to Pomona, the final round came down to Adam Jones, Beau Bamburg, and Twitch. Jones went down hard at this event last year, and no doubt had the weight of that crash on his shoulders. Bamburg and Stenberg were both recovering from recent injuries, but from the looks of the riding thrown down by the three riders on course, they were able to put the pain aside and focus on their riding. In the end, Stenberg's use of the dirt hits, and three back to back flip variations prevailed. Bamburg took a close second and Jones went home with third.
2008 was the biggest and best LG World Championships of FMX yet. The stands were packed, and the riding was as good as it gets. If you missed it this year, you've only got 364 days to plan for next year's event!
Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg
